A Summer in the Corn Field
by Ash M. Knight
Summary: Emma Swan, a poor farm girl uninterested in school, is failing her classes. Regina Mills, a wealthy student in the class above her, is definitely not. When Emma makes a desperate plea for help, Regina makes a surprising request in return. SwanQueen.
1. A Deal

Maine isn't exactly known for farming, and especially not for farming corn. However, on the outskirts of Storybrooke, a comparatively small farm stretched out over 147 acres and grew just that. Given that the bulk of corn comes from Iowa and Illinois, the farm in Maine was less than lucrative and simply served to support the town, some resident businesses, and a few nearby areas. It also served to help feed some of the pigs and dairy cows at other small local farms. Though far from profitable, since most food was imported from other more lucrative states, the farm's owners, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, managed to cultivate the crops well enough to support their growing family.

Emma, at the age of seventeen, was their daughter, and as such, knew far more about farm life than any of her peers. In fact, just as it consumed her parents' life, it consumed hers as well. She was expected to help nurture and manage the crops, regardless of her schoolwork. Most of her free time was hardly free, as she spent it in the fields with her father, working until sweat poured from her brow and between her shoulder blades, soaking the tank tops she so frequently wore in the warm weather.

School was more of a burden than farming was, since she had a much easier time coping with physical labor than the stressful mental exercises of her homework. She stayed mostly out of trouble, keeping her head down and biding her time until she could hurry back home and bury herself in her family's work. She had very few friends, given that she was a bit rough around the edges, not to mention exceedingly poor. Of these 'friends,' none seemed to want to spend time at her home on the farm. Most were opposed to the outdoor lifestyle that she lived. Not only that, but Emma's penniless existence caused many to turn their heads when they saw her walking. Worse, many even jeered at her for her worn and ragged clothing.

One such person, however, though certainly not a friend, had taken a sudden interest in her life.

"So, what's it like?" the girl asked the younger student. "You know… living out there, like that. Getting your hands dirty."

Emma laughed at this, feeling like a freak in a traveling circus. The rest of the students in her school seemed to live lives of at least an upper-middle-class level and scoffed at her lack of finances and the socioeconomic status of her family. This girl, though, a gorgeous brunette by the name of Regina Mills, was by far the richest student that attended the school, and came from the wealthiest family in Storybrooke. Her family owned the mansion on Mifflin Street that so many talked about in hushed whispers behind the girl's back. Still, Regina, unlike Emma, usually had a gaggle of girls following her around, completely at her beck and call. Those girls, however, were far less refined and intelligent than the dark-haired beauty. None could touch the radiance that exuded from her.

The poor blonde girl, though, seemed to catch her attention, and she found herself in front of the more popular young woman in the hallway, asking openly what she desired to know.

"Well?" the brunette pressed, urging the younger girl to answer her.

Hearing the irritated tone in the girl's voice, Emma finally managed to reply, "Nothing special," with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

Not being used to the attention, Emma wasn't sure how else to respond, other than to be dismissive and short. She was expecting some sort of ridicule to follow, but it didn't come.

"No, really. I want to know what it's like to get callouses on your hands. I've never had to lift a finger in my life, and I know it shows," Regina confessed. "You, though… I can tell you work hard, and that you hate it here, mingling with everyone else. You'd rather be alone, wouldn't you?"

"I'd rather be working," Emma answered shortly, turning back to her locker and removing the books she hadn't bothered to read for her next class.

"Oh… I see. Maybe what I said isn't true, then. Maybe you're just waiting for someone to be interested enough in you to step into your world and experience it like you do."

"Oh, come on," the blonde laughed, shaking her head. "What makes you think you know me so well?"

"I can read people, Emma, and I can read you."

With that, the brunette turned and swiftly walked away.

At the beginning of May, Emma's disregard for the academic curriculum reared its head and confronted her head on, in the form of a failing progress report given to her parents by her teachers. When they received the document in the mail and read its contents, their reaction was less than sympathetic.

"_Emma!_" her father shouted sternly, sweat forming on his brow. "This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Dad, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Emma!"

"Dad! It's just _school_. Why does it matter if I'm just going to keep the farm going? _Why _do I even have to _go?_"

"Stop whining _right now, _girl, or I'm going to-"

"I don't fucking care about school! I hate it there, and I-"

The sound of her words was cut off by the swift, stinging blow of the back of his right hand coming in contact with her right cheek. The force shoved her back, and as she lost her balance from the blow, she fell to the floor.

"David-" the girl's mother tried, but was quickly quieted by the stern, threatening look he gave her.

Both the girl and her mother noticed the silent threat, and they quickly took the hint that it was time to leave the room.

Emma, afraid of more punishment, mumbled, "Sorry," as she turned her back on her parents and made her way down the hallway and into her bedroom, where she shut the door tightly.

As she sat down on her bed and hugged her tattered pillow to her chest, tears began to pour from her eyes and drip down onto the rough, scratchy, cream-colored fabric. She knew she was far from in control, but what was worse was that she was alone. Completely alone.

"Find a tutor _today,_" her father ordered the next morning over a small breakfast of toast without butter served with glasses of water. "And don't come home until you have one. I expect your grades to improve _drastically _over the next four weeks. Is that clear?"

"There's no way I can bring my grades up in _four weeks!_ Dad, I-"

When he cocked his hand back in a threatening gesture, the girl winced and went quiet.

"You know that if you don't pass your classes, you won't pass your junior year of high school. And if you don't pass, you will be _severely _punished. Is that clear, Emma?"

"Y-Yes, sir," she stuttered, turning her watering green eyes away from his piercing blue ones.

"Good."

As soon as she walked through the front doors of the prison – her school – her palms and forehead began to sweat. _Who the fuck would ever tutor __**me**__? _she wanted to know._ I'm literal trash. _To her surprise, the first person to catch her eye in the hallway was none other than the beautiful, intelligent, talented, _flawless _Regina Mills. As much as she hated to be at the mercy of someone so gifted and… well endowed… she knew she had no choice.

"Hey, um… Regina…" the blonde started, her voice shaking with fear. "Hi."

"Well, aren't you articulate this morning," the older girl joked. "What can I do for you, Farmgirl?"

Emma started to scowl, but immediately regretted the reaction and tried to clear her face of the expression. She _needed_ this girl to help her. Though that feeling was piercing and fierce, she shoved her reservations away and gave in to desperation.

"Listen… I need… I'm… I'm kind of… um…"

"What is it, meathead?"

Again, the girl's blood grew hot and furious at the casual insult, but she shoved the emotions down and managed to squeak out a nervous, "I'm failing my classes. I need a tutor, and I just thought… I mean… I know that you're the school's valedictorian and all… and…"

The brunette let out a loud, unreserved, cackling laugh and tilted her head back slightly, which served to amplify the sound. Half of the students in the hallway turned to look, and most of them started to laugh when they saw the richest girl in the school conversing with the poorest.

"_You _want me to _tutor you?_" Regina guffawed, her dark eyes scanning the girl as though she was see-through.

"I… um… I mean… I just… I thought I'd ask, you know? I just figured maybe…"

"You know what, Farmgirl?" the star student began, a smirk suddenly creeping confidently over her full, red lips. "I'll make you a deal. You let me work for your parents on your farm this summer, and I'll tutor you."

"W-What?!" Emma gasped, not believing what her brain was telling her she'd heard. "You want… You want to _work _on a _farm?_"

"Hey, keep your fucking voice down, would you?" the girl hissed, leaning in so that only the blonde could hear her.

"Alright… Okay. Fine. Look, I'm desperate, okay? I'll do whatever you want. But if this is some kind of a joke…"

"I assure you, Peasant. This is far from a joke."

"I… Alright, then."

"I'll see you after school."

"W-Where? Library?"

"No. Your place."

Emma spent the rest of the day continuing to sweat, thinking of the elegant Regina Mills at her old, broken down farm house at the edge of the town. When the time came for the school day to end and for them to take the bus together back to the farm, the blonde found herself anxiously ringing her hands on the sidewalk outside of the school as she waited for the bus. She jumped and let out a little cry of surprise as Regina appeared silently behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Jesus! You trying to give me a heart attack?!" she shouted, scowling in the older girl's direction.

"Calm down, and don't be so loud, okay? I don't need everyone noticing that I'm taking a frickin' _bus, _okay?"

Usually, of course, Regina's mother came to pick her up in her new Mercedes Benz, which put every other car in the parking lot to shame. Emma's parents hardly had time to bring her anywhere in their old, broken-down truck, let alone to school and back every day. The blonde blushed as they boarded the creaky yellow bus.

When Regina sat beside her, she was more than surprised. In fact, her eyes went wide in disbelief, and when Regina noticed, she quickly snapped, "What? Don't look at me like that. Where the hell else did you expect me to sit?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't… I didn't think you wanted to be… um… seen with me."

"You're right. I don't. So shut up and don't make a scene, yeah?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically, just grateful for the girl's compliance in her request. Still, the request the girl had made in return still seemed like a horrible, tasteless joke, but she had bigger things to worry about. Like Regina seeing her room, which was trashed like the alley of a ghetto.

"Hey, um… Regina…" the farm girl started shyly, finally daring to look over at the girl's gloriously radiant features. "I, um… My house isn't…"

"It's a mess, isn't it?"

"It's… um… yeah. Yeah, it is."

The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and even managed a sly smile, which confused the hell out of Emma and made her wonder what the girl was _actually_ thinking and not saying. But she stayed silent and stayed grateful, until they reached her stop. The dirt driveway to the farmhouse was long, rocky, and slightly uphill. It didn't take long for Regina to complain.

"Jesus Christ," she whined. "You walk this every day?"

"It's only half a mile," Emma said with a shrug. "You want me to carry you or something, Princess?"

"Hey! Watch your fucking mouth, would you? I expect respect out of you. I'll turn right the fuck around and walk home if you think you can manage to tutor yourself. By all means, give it a try."

Emma shook her head vigorously, then stopped in her tracks as Regina's movements ended and she turned to look around.

"Wow," the girl breathed. "It's kind of… kind of beautiful, really."

"147 acres," Emma announced proudly. "It's our pride and joy."

"I'm sure it is."

The sincerity dripping from the girl's voice caught Emma off guard, but again, she said nothing, instead walking the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the house, she immediately wished she'd simply come home alone and refused to bring Regina there.

"Listen… Regina…"

"It's fine, Emma," the brunette assured her, a small smile curling the perfect shape of her lips. "Let's just go inside and get started, okay?"

Emma was more than surprised by the sudden softness of Regina's words. Swallowing hard, though, she reached out and opened the lock-less door, then stepped inside.

"Where are your parents?" Regina blurted out, looking around the small, empty kitchen as Emma set her backpack on the table.

The blonde shrugged and answered, "Probably out in the field, trying to think of reasons not to kill me for failing my classes."

"Hey," the dark-eyed girl said, putting her hand on Emma's shoulder. "You're not going to fail."

Emma's eyes went wide at this gesture. It had been too long ago for her to remember being touched by a gentle hand. It was startling and refreshing, and it took her attention away from the task at hand.

"I… What?" she asked dumbly, nearly staring at the beautiful girl who was looking directly back at her.

"I said, 'You're not going to fail.'"

"I… I think I definitely might."

"I won't let you. As long as you follow through on your part of the deal."

"I… If you're really serious about it, I will. But it's not a joke, okay? My parents will kill me if you-"

"I'm not joking. I want to know what it feels like, Emma. To work. To be…"

"To be what?" Emma asked, her tone suddenly defensive.

The older girl recovered with, "To live like you do."

"Trust me," the blonde warned. "You don't want to live like I do. Anyone would much rather be put up in some mansion with-"

"You know _nothing _about my life," Regina snapped. "So don't fucking pretend like you do."

"I… I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. Look, let's just do this, okay?"

"Hey, um… Do you want some water? I'm wicked thirsty."

"No, I'm okay. Thank you. That was very polite."

"What, you expect me to have no manners, because I live on a farm?"

"No! No, I didn't mean that… I just… Thank you. That's all. You're sweet to ask."

"I'm not sweet. I'm-"

"Hey… Emma… Do you think we could maybe go outside for a while? You know… before the sun sets?"

"You mean, you want to do homework outside?"

"No, I… I was hoping you'd… show me the fields and stuff?"

"Oh! Oh, okay. Yeah, sure. You should probably wear boots, though. It's pretty dirty out there. I doubt you want to ruin your shoes. I've got a pair you can borrow, and I can just wear my old ones, but they're really, um…"

"That'll be fine, Emma. Thank you."

"Do you, uh… Do you want a T-shirt and some shorts? I don't… I'm sure you don't want to get your blouse dirty."

Regina looked at her like she was thinking while trying to decide, and it took her a while to speak.

"No," she finally answered, her voice slow and calm. "I'll be fine. Clothes can be washed."

"Do your parents know about this?"

"What? Well, no, but-"

"Then what exactly do they think you're doing hanging out with a farm kid? 'Cause what other reason could you possibly have to-"

"They think I'm downtown with Belle and Ruby. I told them I'd be back around 9, just like we talked about, and that's all they care about. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"I… Alright. Sorry. Anyway, let me go grab those boots and I'll be right back."

"Hey, wait," Regina said, catching the girl's arm in her grip. "Show me your room."

"Whoa, dude," Emma answered, both shocked and horrified at the prospect of introducing her acquaintance to her shipwrecked abode. "That's… That's not gonna happen."

"Oh, come on," the brunette laughed brightly, the infectious sound ringing in Emma's ears. "How bad could it be?"

"It's bad."

Emma hung her head in shame, her face growing as red as a blood moon, but Regina stood up and pressed, "Show me."

And what choice did she have, really? This girl was willing to tutor her, and she needed that more than anything. To risk that alliance would likely have been detrimental to her mission to pass her classes and appease her father, and that she wasn't willing to do. That being the case, Emma moved unhurriedly down the hall, like a dead man walking, and slowly pushed the door to her bedroom open. Inside was exactly what she'd been expecting (though she'd been hoping that the room had magically cleaned itself after she'd left for school). It wasn't really dirty clothes that covered the floor, since she didn't own many of those to begin with. Mostly, it was books. They were on the windowsill, on the nightstand, and all around the perimeter of the room. They weren't new by any means, though. They were old, all of them second-hand, but nonetheless well loved by Emma.

"Wow," Regina breathed. "Who knew you were a bookworm? I don't think I've ever seen you open a book in my life."

"Well, first of all, you're not in any of my classes," the blonde grumbled. "Second of all, I only like to read _my _books."

"Well, well, well," the other girl laughed. "Hoity-toity then, are we?"

"I'm not 'hoity-toity!'" Emma cried. "I just like my books! They're all I have, okay?"

This caught the brunette greatly off guard, and she stared at Emma for a long while before she spoke again, taking in the gravity of what the girl had just inadvertently told her.

"I'm sorry," was all she managed to get out.

But this was the last thing Emma wanted to hear, so she grabbed both pairs of boots, each sitting on top of a separate pile of books, and handed the newer pair to Regina, saying, "Come on. Let's go."

Nothing else needed to be said between them for Regina to understand exactly what Emma had meant. Those books were _literally _all the entertainment she had. The girl's few 'friends' had surely never been to her house, and even at school, they barely noticed her. They were much more like kind acquaintances than anything else. Emma understood this, though, and accepted it. Instead of fighting for the human contact she so desperately needed, she buried herself in the adventures of others and disappeared between the pages of her books in the late-night hours after working in the dirt.

Once they were outside, stepping onto the field of cultivated land, they both looked around at what was before them.

"So, when does stuff actually grow?" Regina wanted to know, as she looked eagerly over at the blonde, who seemed to be captivated by the display of what appeared to be nothing.

"It'll be a while. These rows are all ready for planting, which is what we're working on now."

"Will you… Will you show me?"

"Sure," Emma replied with a shrug, walking a few yards away to a small metal bucket, lifting it up, then reaching her inside to pull out a handful of seeds. "These," she said, "are corn seeds. They should be placed about two to four inches apart, in rows."

"But how long does it take it to grow? Like, when does it become… you know… corn?"

The blonde laughed at this, not answering, and knelt down in the dirt, the brown substance covering her bare knees, which were pale, despite the amount of sun she got from being outside during almost every moment of sunlight. The older, more elegant girl watched wide-eyed as Emma stuck her fingers deep into the earth, a few times over, planting three or four seeds before looking back up at her.

"Wanna try?"

Regina nodded shyly and knelt down beside Emma, allowing the dirt to rub the knees of her jeans until they were completely brown. When she held out her hand, Emma handed her a few seeds, her fingertips lingering on the softness of the girl's skin. Quietly, the brunette repeated her mentor's actions, burying the seeds as deep as her fingers would go.

"There. See? You've got this already."

"But Emma," Regina finally whined. "When does it become _corn?_"

"It takes anywhere from sixty to ninety days, depending on the weather. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Anyway, beginning or end of the summer."

"That's awesome!" Regina cried, withholding no enthusiasm. "I can't wait to see it. I've never been-"

"It's beautiful, really," Emma sighed, falling back and sitting in the dirt. "I love it."

This earned a smile from the beautiful girl beside her, who sat down and leaned back as well. However, when the tips of Regina's fingers bumped against Emma's, the blonde nearly jumped right out of her seat in the soil.

"Uh… Sorry," they both quickly mumbled, almost at the same time.

The rest of the afternoon, at least until it got dark, Emma walked the girl around the rows and rows of bare land, until Emma finally wiped her brow and said, "We should walk back. It's gonna be dark soon."

After a long trek back to the house, Emma got herself a glass of water, and one for her new tutor. They both drank them hurriedly, having exerted most of the effort on walking constantly during the past few hours.

"So, how about that homework?" Regina asked, earning a loud, exaggerated groan from the blonde who had just sat down across from her at the table.

With a weak, reluctant nod, Emma conceded, and the two began work on less interesting things… like algebra and chemistry.

This continued for quite some time. On the weekends, they spent more time outside in the fields than back in the house studying, but when it got dark, they would retire to the kitchen to work on Emma's homework. (Of course, Regina's homework for the entire week was done by Monday night, so she rarely had any to bring to the table.) One Sunday night, however, a particularly large homework load left them both buried in textbooks.

"Can we just go lay down on your bed?" Regina suggested. "I feel like I'm going to collapse under the weight of all this studying. I can't sit upright much longer."

"M-My… My bed?"

"Well, yeah…. I mean… It's horizontal and has room enough for both of us, unlike the loveseat in your living room. Makes sense, right? Don't tell me you're not ready to combust from over-thinking right now."

"No, I… I am. I just…"

"What? What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing. Let's go."

So Emma grabbed her pile of books, and Regina's, then hurried down the hallway before the older girl could protest the gesture. Once in her room, she kicked a few piles of novels out of the way to make a clearer path to her small twin-sized bed, then set the books down in the middle. After propping her only pillow up against the wall, then sitting on the opposite side of the bed, she finally gestured for her tutor to sit down.

"I was serious," Regina laughed, pushing the books to the wall and lying down with her legs out and her head resting on Emma's bare thigh. "You're soft," she added, absently stroking the girl's skin with her thumb.

Emma blushed and shook her head, reaching for the pile of books. Before she could grab one, though, Regina pushed her hand away.

When she tried once more, the brunette shook her head and said, "Let's just… Let's just relax for a minute."

"You know if we do that, we're gonna fall asleep. My parents are supposed to bring you home in a half hour. We need to get this stuff done, and-"

"Emma, please?" the older girl whined. "I can't think anymore. My brain is fried."

"Well, if _your _brain is fried, there's no hope for me. Might as well give up."

"You know…" Regina said slowly. "They could just bring me home in the morning."

"W-What? I… But…"

"It's not like I've never seen someone sleeping before. What's the big deal?"

"Well, I… We don't have a spare room, and I-"

"Emma… It's fine. If you don't want me to stay, just say so, but sleeping in the same bed with you doesn't bother me."

"Well, what about your parents? Wouldn't they-"

"I'll text them and tell them I'm studying late at Belle's."

Emma just laughed and answered, "Everyone knows Belle doesn't study."

"Well, _they _don't know that. And they don't have to. As long as they don't know I'm here, it's fine."

"Yeah, it'd be a real shame if they knew you were hanging out with such a low-life, huh?"

"Hey… Emma, come on…" Regina tried. When the girl looked away, the brunette said, "They just don't understand this life, Em. They don't get that some people actually have to work for a living, and that not everything is handed to everyone the way they hand shit to me." Seeing that the blonde looked somewhat subdued by this, Regina took the girl's hand and kissed the back of it, adding, "I wouldn't let them finding out stop me from this. We have a deal."

The younger girl nodded weakly, startled by the physical gesture of affection that had just been displayed, and leaned back against the wall.

"Hey, come here," the brunette beckoned her. "Share the pillow with me."

"Regina…"

"Come on. It's not fair that I get to hog all of it."

"We should study…"

"Just shut your eyes with me for five minutes. Five minutes, okay?"

With a sigh, Emma picked up the textbooks, set them down on top of an even taller stack of novels on her bedside table, and stretched out beside her companion on the bed, her cheek just barely resting on the pillow. Only when Regina closed her eyes did Emma do the same, but after only two short minutes, both girls were fast asleep.

Emma stayed frozen in that position, her back pressed against the wall, but in the middle of the night, Regina rolled forward from her side onto her stomach, and her arm swung out and flopped loosely over Emma's waist. After a few more subtle movements and shifts toward the warmer girl in the bed, the blonde woke very early the next morning – when it was still dark out – to find Regina's soft head of hair tickling her chin, and their arms wrapped around each other. Regina's knee was even resting on top of the blonde's thigh when Emma opened her eyes.

When she realized what had happened, Emma immediately tried to squirm away, embarrassed that she may have been the one to unintentionally initiate such intimate contact and horrified by the prospect of Regina waking to find them nearly wound up in each other's embraces. However, Regina woke as soon as the blonde started to move (which wasn't a successful mission anyway, since her back was still firmly pressed against the wall).

"Mmmm," Regina mumbled, surprising Emma by tightening her grip around her waist, as she left her eyes closed. "Don't move. You're warm."

Emma, beyond shocked, took little, cautioned breaths and tried to stay as silent as possible, until, despite her anxiety, she fell back to sleep. When the blonde woke as the sun rose, Regina was gone. Thankfully, though, Emma found her in the kitchen as she stumbled drunkenly out of her room to search for the girl.

"I, um…" the younger girl started, heart racing as she remembered the night before. "Hi."

"Hi!" Regina said cheerfully, turning around to reveal that she was, in fact, cooking eggs on the stove.

"W-What are you doing? What… What-"

"Your parents said I could use the stove, so I'm making you breakfast. You were _wiped _last night!"

"Me?!" Emma protested. "You were the one whining and saying we should shut our eyes for _five minutes, _and then-"

"Shh!" Regina hissed, pressing a finger to Emma's lips with a grin. "No talky before coffee."

Emma had to laugh at this, and, despite her reservations, sat down at the table and allowed herself to be served for the first time since she was a child.


	2. Oil

**Author's note: And now... for a little drama ;) Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Needless to say, with the help of the gifted Regina Mills, Emma passed all of her classes. Over the last month and a half of school, they spent most of their time together, either in the fields, or at Emma's kitchen table doing homework. When it was finally time for Emma's summer vacation and Regina's graduation, they were both elated.

"Thank _God _it's over!" Emma cried happily, slamming one of her textbooks shut for the last time. "I'm _so _ready for summer!"

"And I am _so _not ready for college," Regina laughed, leaning back in the chair as she looked at the girl across from her. When she noticed that the blonde had begun to look sullen and withdrawn, she lifted her legs under the table and rested them on Emma's lap, poking the girl's stomach with her toe, and said, "We've got all summer. It'll be-" she was cut off by the realization that what she had just touched was, in fact, _rock _solid. "Holy shit, Farmgirl. You've got some serious iron abs under that tank top."

Emma flashed a forced, crooked smile and said, "Nah," but her face turned red enough that it was clear to Regina that the girl was embarrassed by the comment.

The blonde went quiet after that, but Regina could see, even if Emma wouldn't admit it under any circumstances, that the girl was definitely going to miss their time together. They'd both quietly come to enjoy it, but neither had said so out loud, or even admitted it to themselves. It was only during Regina's graduation speech as valedictorian that Emma realized it herself, as she started to cry, sitting in the back row. Before the ceremony ended, she wiped away her tears and approached the front of the stage where Regina was chatting and mingling with her other graduating friends. Emma waited until the girl turned around on her own to say anything.

"I, um…" she started, holding her hands behind her back, but found the words she wanted to say stuck deep in her throat. "C-Congratulations."

When Regina saw that the girl's eyes were red, she opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced when Emma removed a large bouquet of pink and yellow flowers from behind her back. When she saw them, the brunette's eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open.

"Oh, Emma," she breathed, taking the flowers with careful, nervous hands. "You didn't have to do that. Thank you so much."

"I, uh… I'll see you Monday?"

"Emma, wait," Regina said, grabbing her arm as the girl started to turn around. "My parents are throwing me a graduation party at my house tonight. Do you want to come?"

The blonde just laughed at this, shaking her head and saying, "I don't think I'd fit In with your crowd, Regina. Also, your parents would have a heart attack if they found out you were hanging out with a kid like me. Besides, I have nothing to wear anyway."

"I have plenty of clothes for you to choose from, okay? You can wear anything of mine you want. Just… please…"

"Regina, really. This is silly. I'm not-"

"I want you to be there."

"Your parents-"

"You're the only one I care about having there, Emma."

"W-What?"

"Please come."

"I… I can't. Your friends… They'd…"

"Okay. You know what? Fine. I'll see you Monday."

So Regina turned and walked away, leaving Emma standing on her own in a sea of people who were congratulating the graduating class. As soon as the younger girl returned home, though, she regretted her decision. In her room, surrounded by tens of books and hundreds of characters nicer than the people she'd met in the real word, she still felt alone, and this feeling lasted the rest of the weekend, all the way through Monday morning, when Regina knocked on her front door.

"Hey," Emma greeted her. "How was the party?"

"It sucked. Thanks for asking."

Taken aback by this, Emma held the door open as the girl walked inside.

"I'm… I'm sorry… I would've thought-"

"It's fine. Let's just go outside, okay? It's a beautiful day, and I just want to get to work."

"Regina, are you upset with me because I didn't go?"

"A little, yeah! You could've just-"

"Your friends fucking hate me! Your parents would've hated me too. I would've looked ridiculous dressed up in your clothes, and I would've _felt _ridiculous in your enormous house. Don't you get that?"

"I… Yeah. I get it."

"Let's go outside."

When the blonde pushed past her, Regina's undivided attention was caught by the tightly fitting denim shorts the girl was wearing, to the point where she actually forgot to move.

"You coming?" Emma asked, as she turned around and looked at her expectantly.

"Yeah. I… I'm coming."

Over the next month, they continued to fertilize the soil and water the crops, until finally, towards the end of July, corn silks appeared.

"Oh, Emma! Look at it!" Regina cried happily, bouncing on her heels. "Does this mean they're ready?"

"Nah," Emma laughed. "Not yet. Give it another three weeks, then we'll start checking for ripeness." When Regina's eyes lit up with excitement, the girl added, "You did really well this summer, Regina. I never expected you to be such a hard worker."

"Gee, thanks," the girl chuckled, giving Emma's shoulder a hard, playful shove.

Emma's feet were on soft, rather than firm, soil, so when she was pushed, she quickly lost her balance and fell on the ground, catching herself on her elbows.

"Oh, gosh!" Regina cried, bending down and extending her hand to help the girl up off the ground. "I didn't think you were gonna fall over like that, or I wouldn't have-"

But the brunette's apologetic words were quickly cut short by the force of Emma firmly gripping her forearm and jerking her down. Regina fell quickly, hardly having had decent balance to begin with, and tumbled down until she was completely on top of the younger girl, their hips inadvertently pressed together from the force of the fall.

"I…" Regina started, her face flooding with warm, embarrassed blood.

Emma shook her head and pushed up on the girl's shoulders until she rolled to the side. As soon as the pressure of Regina's warm skin was removed, she relaxed into the ground, not caring that she was quickly becoming covered in dirt. Tired arms reached up and folded behind her head as she looked up at the sky. Regina stared at her at first, just watching what she was doing, then repeated Emma's actions by laying flat on her back and looking up at the sky as well.

"What do you see?" the blonde asked suddenly, turning her head to face the older girl.

"Corn," Regina responded quickly, with a laugh. "I see it everywhere I look now. I dream about it. It's silly."

"I do too," Emma told her. "I know it's crazy, but this is the only life I know. School just seems so pointless to me. There's nothing else I'd rather do than farm."

"N-Nothing…?"

"What?"

"There's absolutely _nothing _you'd rather do?"

"No. Farming is my life, Regina. I know it's hard for you to understand that not everyone lives for money, but-"

"Hey! What the fuck?! I'm fucking here, aren't I? I'm not at the fucking mall with Belle or Ruby. I'm _here. _With you."

Why Regina had felt the need to add 'with you' to the end of her sentence, Emma wasn't sure, but it had certainly surprised her.

"Do you _not _want to be here with me?"

"Of course I want to be with you!"

Emma's eyes went wide as she sat up and stared at the girl lying beside her. _What the fuck was that? _she wondered, not daring to believe that she'd just heard those words.

Regina, quick to think on her feet, promptly corrected herself, though, saying, "Here. I meant here."

Even when the blonde nodded swiftly, Regina's face did not begin to lose color. Instead, it stayed the bright red shade that captivated Emma's gaze.

The days went on like that, the quiet tension building between them. The summertime was ripe with color and light, especially on the outskirts of town where fields of grass and corn spread out for acres along the outstretched roads leaving Storybrooke. As young Emma and her companion sat in the grass on the edge of the cornfield, they felt lucky to be experiencing the swift bursts of warm summer breeze.

The pushed each other playfully, calling each other childish names and forgetting about their homework, if only for a few short months. Together, they shut out the rest of the world – including their parents. Being on a farm only helped immerse them deeper in that fantasy in a more vivid way.

"I could stay out here forever," Regina sighed, falling back into the grass.

Even though it was summertime, the brunette still wore an oxford style shirt that clung tighter to her skin than was probably comfortable.

"Summer or not," she explained to Emma, when the girl had pointed it out. "I still like to look my best."

"Well, you do," Emma replied in earnest. "You always do."

This brought on an awkward silence that left the two in sort of a quiet stupor.

"It's hot," Regina announced, then whined, "Why can't we go swimming?"

"All right," the blonde said, jumping up out of the grass and grabbing the girl's arm with a firm grip. "Get up, then. Let's go."

When they reached the small stream on the edge of the property, they collapsed at its edge, fatigued from running the whole way.

"I could just die in this heat," the brunette panted. "God, it's hot. All of me is leaking."

Emma cocked an eyebrow at the girl, but said nothing. The two stepped toward the edge with bare feet and peered into the water.

Right on cue, as if scripted in some horrible, tragic movie, a duckling struggled to make its way around the edge of the bank. Glistening with a thick, black coat of slime, it fought to make itself move.

"Gina!" Emma wailed, tenderly lifting the little thing out of the water and nearly falling in as she did so.

The duckling tried to make noise, but couldn't. Its tiny, helpless head was covered in the blackness, and Emma's eyes began to leak from feeling.

"He's going to die if we leave him," the blonde choked out. "What do we do?"

"There must have been an oil spill from a truck somewhere upstream. But Emma… There's not wildlife rehabilitation center near here…"

"But we have to do something!"

"Emma, I think… I think it's too late, sweetie…"

"No!" the younger girl screamed, tenderly setting the little duck down in the grass and rising to her feet to shove her companion backwards by the shoulders. "It's not too late!"

"Emma-"

"This is the fault of every wealthy piece of shit in the country. Fucking oil trucks drive through town to bigger cities to support some stupid, upper-class lifestyle, then crash near a river and then BANG. Just like that, all the wildlife in the river are fucking destroyed by this _bullshit!_"

"Em, come on. I'm sure it was an accident. Nobody _meant _to spill oil into the river. It just-"

"Why are your people always making fucking excuses?"

"_My _people?"

"Yeah! _Your _people! Fucking _rich _people who 'need' their industrial bullshit and build stupid factories to support their consumerist lifestyles! It's-"

"You're blaming _me _for a fucking truck's oil spill right now?!"

"Well, if people like you-"

There was fury in Regina's eyes as she replied, "People like me? Really, Emma?"

The blonde's soft lips parted as she stared at the girl while she cried and considered her own words, but she was quickly distracted by the desperate, muffled noises made by the little duck in the grass beside her. The tears flowed faster as she knelt down beside it, gathered its small body in her hands again, and stared down at it.

"What if we take him inside, and clean him up?" Regina carefully suggested. "We could-"

"His leg is broken," Emma sobbed, having felt the looseness of the appendage in her hands. "He can't move."

"Oh, fuck. Emma, I'm sorry… I…"

But when the brunette started to kneel down beside her, Emma screamed, "Don't! Don't fucking come near me."

"Emma, stop it. Just let me-"

But she was cut off by the cracking sound that erupted from Emma's hands, caused by the snapping of the small creature's neck, quickly followed by a blood-curdling scream from the blonde as she collapsed on the ground, still cradling the deceased duckling's tiny frame in her arms.

"Oh, my God!" Regina breathed, horrified by the sounds and the action from her companion. "Emma!"

"He… He…." Emma choked between sobs. "He was gonna die slowly. He was in pain. _I had to!_"

"Oh, honey," Regina said, kneeling beside her and stroking her arm with her hand. "It's alright… He's not… He's not hurting anymore, and-"

Emma placed the little creature in the grass, then sat up swiftly once more and shoved Regina away, until she fell onto her back in the grass.

"Emma, I-"

"Don't!" the younger girl screamed. "Don't try to make me feel better because you _pity _me!"

"What?" Regina gasped. "I don't pity you! I'm just sorry that he had to… That you had to…"

"NO!" Emma shoved her back again, then yelled, "Why the fuck are you even here?"

"Emma!"

"No, really. WHY?"

"Emma, stop it…"

"Fuck you!"

"Emma, what the hell is your problem? I didn't _do _this! I'm sorry about the duckling, Em, but what just happened wasn't my fault. Why are you screaming at me?"

"Why are you _here?_"

"I'm here to live something other than my own day-to-day _bullshit_ existence!"

"My life isn't a joke to just fucking try on when you feel like it and then turn your back on it when you're done sticking your hands in the dirt for the day."

"Emma, you know it's not like that."

"Stop saying my name!"

"Em…"

"Stop!"

"But _why?_"

"Because it makes me feel… I…"

With that, the younger girl crumbled to the ground in a heap beside the lifeless body of the duckling, this time covering her face with her hands as she let out heavy, screaming sobs. Regina wasted no time dropping to her knees beside her once again, putting her soft, gentle hand on the girl's bare shoulder.

"Emma," she whispered. "It's okay, honey. I'm right here."

Emma cried for the next forty minutes or so, without words, and Regina sat unmoving beside her the entire time, until at last, the blonde lifted her head to reveal two wet, red eyes.

"I had to," she cried. "He was suffering. He-"

"Shh," Regina whispered, leaning in and pressing her lips to the girl's forehead, which was smeared with dirt from being in the field all morning. "I know."

Emma froze at this new sensation, something she'd never experienced before. Regina's lips were smoother than honey, and she found herself dangerously wondering if they tasted just as sweet. Before she could tear herself from this thought, she looked up, meeting the older girl's eyes, then found herself being shoved down to the ground. As her shoulders were shoved back roughly, her back hit the grass, hard enough to knock most of her breath from her lungs. She had no time to speak before the older girl straddled her lap, bare knees digging into the soft blades of green Earth.

"W-What…" Emma tried, but was quickly silenced by Regina's lips tenderly kissing her own, as softly as if she were breakable.

At that moment, though, she really was. Feeling this an knowing how true it was, Regina cupped the girl's face in her hands and continued the gentle kiss until she felt more tears streaming down Emma's hot, frustrated cheeks.

"Why are you doing this?" Emma whimpered through tears, as the girl finally disconnected their lips.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Emma, I… Don't you know how much I care about you?"

"What?"

"Emma… Please…"

"Please _what?_"

"Please, just kiss me…"

"But, Regina, you're…"

"I'm what? Rich? Popular? Who cares about that stuff? Why can't we just-"

"Smart. You're too smart for me. Too _good _for me…"

"Emma… Honey, please… Please don't be like that. You're _brilliant. _Anything you put your mind to, you soak up in an instant. You're the fastest learner I've ever met. Just because you hate school and didn't try before the last few months of this year doesn't mean you're not smart. And I'm certainly _not _too 'good' for you. The truth is, Emma… I think you're too good for me. Too sweet. Too… pure…"

"Pure?"

"You have a heart of gold, Em. You're an angel."

"I killed that little duckling, though! And I-"

"You did it to save him from suffering, Emma."

"I know, but-"

"Emma."

"Gina, I…"

"Just kiss me, Farmgirl," Regina said, a shy, crooked smile on her lips.

"But, I…"

Regina cupped the girl's face in her hands once more, leaned in until her lips were hovering over the blonde's, and waited, until finally, the urge in Emma's gut grew so overwhelming that it could not be suppressed. The younger girl licked her lips to wet them, then moved in slowly. This kiss was longer than the first, because as soon as Emma moved to pull away, Regina leaned in to continue it. As it deepened, though, Regina's hands began to wander. First, they trailed down Emma's sides, but then, they found themselves pressed flat against the girl's abdomen.

"Mmm," she mumbled into Emma's lips. "They really are as hard as iron."

Without looking, Regina could feel the heat radiating from the girl's blushing cheeks, and she savored it as the kiss went on. Soon, Emma's hands were wandering too, sliding over the skin of the brunette's arms.

She pulled away and barely managed to mumble, "You've gotten so strong," against the girl's kiss.

"No, I-"

"Your muscles are huge now," Emma told her, finally moving far enough away to speak clearly. "You've worked really hard. It's… It's sexy."

"Em…" Regina started slowly, now looking directly into the girl's fiery green eyes. "I applied for ULCA for… for…"

"Pre-law. I know. What about it?"

"No… Em… I applied for agriculture and forestry…"

"You _what? _ What about law? Your parents are going to fucking _kill _you!"

"This is what I love, Emma! I can't turn my back on it."

"Oh, Regina… I had no idea that you…"

"I'm not 'trying on' your lifestyle. This is what I _want_ for mylife. I don't want to be rich, or wealthy, or spoiled anymore. I want to be… self-sufficient. I want to keep my hands dirty. I want to _make _something. To grow something. To… To just…"

"Wow," Emma breathed. "I can't believe you're really… going to _California._"

"Come with me, Emma. Pull your grades up, apply next year, and then _come with me._"

"What? Me? College? Yeah, right. I'm fine right here where I am."

"Just think about it. You could learn so much more about this! You could go so much deeper."

"What's wrong with the way I live now?"

"No… Em, it's not like that… I… I just…"

"You just what?"

"I don't just want this life. I want this life with _you._"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you kidding me right now? You really can't see it? How deeply I feel for you?"

"I…"

"We're never apart, Emma. We spend almost every waking moment together."

"You're here to learn about farming. You said so yourself."

"I'm _also _here to be with you. Don't you see it? In my face? In my eyes, when I look at you?"

"See what?"

"You're literally blind!" Regina cried, dismounting Emma's lap and grabbing a medium-sized rock before standing up and hurling it into the water. "You are actually, literally, andcompletely_ blind_._"_

"I… I…"

"No, fuck this. I'm an idiot. For five seconds, I thought you felt the same. That night we fell asleep together and I woke up with my arms around you, but you didn't push me away… I thought… UGH! I am _such_ a fool for thinking-"

"Regina, wait..."

"What, Emma?"

"Don't… Don't be upset. I…"

"Forget this. Forget you. I'm out of here."

But when Regina turned to walk away, Emma quickly snatched the girl's wrist and jerked her to the ground once again, this time crashing their lips together as soon as the girl fell on top of her, their hips pressed maddeningly together.

"Emma," Regina whimpered between fevered kisses.

This time, it was her turn to cry, and the feeling of hot, desperate tears smearing from Regina's cheek to her own made Emma's heart race.

"I'm sorry," the younger girl whispered. "I'm so sorry. I do feel the same. I do want you."

Regina let out a soft cry, overwhelmed by the confession, before pressing their lips together again.

"I fell so hard for you. I just wanted… I just wanted you to want me, but I figured… I thought I was too… that you'd think I was…"

"Perfect," Emma cut in. "I think you're perfect."

"But I'm not!" the brunette protested loudly. "I'm a spoiled little brat, and I-"

"You're not like that. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was upset… I was hurt. I didn't mean to take it out on you. It just came out. I-"

"It's okay. I forgive you. I… I'm sorry about the duckling..."

With a sigh, Emma pulled the girl down into her arms and squeezed, holding her tightly.

"Why don't we give the little guy a proper burial?" Regina finally asked, after a few more slow, tender touches of their lips.

"I think that would be perfect," Emma replied, nodding her head rather weakly.

So they dug a hole at the edge of the river, Emma's muscles flexing and glistening with sweat in the afternoon sun, and buried the poor broken creature. They each said a few sincere, apologetic words, placed a large rock on top of the site as the little duckling's gravestone, then looked towards the water.

"I'm gonna cheer us up," Emma said suddenly.

As soon as Regina said, "Huh?" Emma laughed.

"Well… there's no oil in this part of the river… The little ducky came from upstream… So…" she replied, then shoved the girl as hard as she could until the girl tripped and fell back into the river.

"Emma!" the girl screamed as the water splashed up onto the shore and over the other girl's feet.

"What?!" the blonde cried out with a grin. "You wanted to swim, didn't you?"

"You _bitch!_"

Regina quickly scrambled to the bank, dripping from head to toe, then performed the same action as Emma, shoving the cocky blonde into the water with a large crash, then went in after her.

"Get your fucking ass over here, punk!" Emma called out, reaching for Regina as soon as she was fully in the river.

The blonde jerked her forward, then wrapped her arms around the girl and crashed their lips together, the kiss hard and wet, until Regina whimpered. When she heard the noise, Emma put her hands under the brunette's toned thighs and lifted them up until they were wrapped around her waist. The kissed continued until Emma finally dared to push her tongue past the girl's parted lips, earning yet another soft moan from her new lover.

When Emma broke away, Regina quickly begged, "Emma, don't stop. Don't let me go."

So Emma continued the slow, steady kiss, pressing their bodies together. Eventually, they were both moaning into each other's mouths, and this encouraged the blonde to walk them backwards through the water until Regina's back was against the edge of the river. When the pressure against her hips increased, the brunette whimpered again, then slowly moved her hands under Emma's soaking wet tank top, pressing her thumbs against the other girl's hip bones.

"I want to see you…" Regina finally managed between forceful, heated kisses.

"Okay," Emma agreed shyly. "Take it off, then."

Regina wasted no time removing the tight garment covering Emma's torso, lifting it up over the girl's head, and tossing it to the bank. When Emma nodded her head, the brunette reached around behind the younger girl's back beneath the water, unclasped her bra, and did the same with that. Her hands explored the younger girl's exposed breasts, until finally, Emma let go, moved away, then grabbed the other girl's arm and helped her out of the water. She tugged Regina's hand until they were back on the soft grass, then fell to the ground, pulling the girl on top of her. Once the brunette was pressed into her again, Regina nodded, cuing Emma to remove her shirt, which the girl did quickly.

"It's okay," Regina said between heavy, shaking breaths, when she saw that the blonde's muscles had tensed, probably from nervousness and uncertainty. "Take it off."

Emma removed the garment, tossed it to the side near her own clothes, then looked up at the glory that was her lover's topless figure.

"God, you're beautiful," Emma sighed, sliding nervous hands over Regina's smooth, supple breasts as the hot sun bared down on the girl's back and dried the water almost immediately.

"I'm not-" she tried to protest, but Emma pulled her down until their breasts were pressed together and kissed her, softly and slowly that time, until they were both moaning eagerly into the kiss once again.

When Regina's hands found the younger girl's hips again and pressed against them, her fingertips curling into the waistband of Emma's shorts, the blonde sighed, but managed to pry away the girl's touch.

"Let's take it slow," she said softly, taking quick, frazzled breaths. "I don't… I don't want…"

"It's okay if you don't want to. I'm sorry. I shouldn't… I…"

"No, no. It's not that. I want to. I just… I want it to be perfect for you, you know? I want it to be special."

This brought a bright smile to Regina's face as she whispered, "No one's ever wanted that for me before."

"I'd never want… I just want you to be comfortable and not regret anything. And with you leaving and all…"

"Wait, what?"

"I just don't want to rush into anything when you're just gonna have to leave, you know? You're probably going to find someone special when you-"

"What the fuck, Emma? I just finished telling you how hard I've fallen for you, and now you're talking about me being with someone else just because I'm moving across the country? That doesn't fucking matter to me! I want _you!_ Don't you get that?!"

"Gina, I'm sorry! I just… I don't want to hold you back. I want you to be happy!"

"I'm happy with _you._"

"Regina… Maybe we should just wait, you know? I mean… until you're there, and you're sure…"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" Regina screamed, tearing away from the girl's embrace and dismounting her lap.

As she stood beside the blonde, whose wet body was still glistening in the sun, and stared down at her, there was more than fury in her eyes. There was unmistakable pain.

"Gina, wait… Come on, honey… I-"

"This is such fucking bullshit. You're bullshit. I can't believe, after telling me you want me, you're gonna push me away like this. I don't even care why you're doing it, honestly. Just… fuck you. Fuck you and the way you've fucking played my heart this whole fucking time. I don't even know what the fuck else to say to you," the brunette spat angrily. "I'm going back to the house to wait for your parents to bring me home."

"Regina, don't," Emma protested, reaching for Regina's hand, but the girl was too quick, and had already moved away, picked up her bra and shirt, put them back on, and started to walk back towards the path through the cornfield that led back to the farmhouse.


	3. Making Up With a Road Trip

At first, Emma wasn't sure what to do. What could she even say, after everything she'd already fucked up? This beautiful girl had just told Emma she wanted her, and now she was turning her away? Trying to talk her out of it? _What the fuck is wrong with me? _Emma wanted to know, silently cursing herself for the words she couldn't take back. She sat frozen in the grass, still topless, and stared helplessly as the girl of her dreams walked away.

When she heard the girl's sobs, even from that distance away, though, she immediately grabbed her clothes, which were still soaking wet, put them back on, and jumped to her feet. Without another moment of hesitation, she ran full-force after the beautiful brunette she'd just inadvertently turned away.

"Regina!" she shouted as she tried to catch up, but when the girl heard her name, she started to run.

Emma was faster, though, and caught up to her quickly. As soon as she was close enough, she wrapped her strong arms around the girl from behind and held her tightly against her chest.

"Let go of me!" Regina screamed, making a swift attempt to elbow the girl in the gut, but stopped by the force of Emma's arms holding down her own. "Fucking let go!"

"I'm never gonna let you go," Emma whispered, kissing the nape of her neck as she loosened her grip. "I fell for you too. All I want is for you to be free to do what makes you truly happy. I'm not trying to push you away. I'm never going to turn my back on you, and whatever this is that we have, because it's too special to give up. If you want to leave… If you need to be free… I'm going to support you. But I'll never be the one to walk away."

"I _am _free," Regina cried. "And all I want is you."

"Then I'm yours," the blonde said softly, turning the girl around to face her and looking deeply into her eyes. "I'm yours for as long as you'll have me."

"I don't want to leave you for school," Regina said, sniffling and stifling the rest of her tears.

"I don't want you to go. But you have to, Regina. You need this. You're too smart not to go. You need-"

"Emma…"

"What, babe?"

"I think… I think I'm going to wait a year."

"No!" Emma screamed. "You can't do that!"

"I want to stay with you!"

"I'm not gonna be the one to hold you back. I'll be here waiting for you when you come back to visit, but I'm not gonna let you put off your dream, Gina."

"But, Em, I-"

"No, Regina. You have to go."

"But what if _you _find someone else? What if-"

"You can't stay here just to make sure I don't find anyone else! I'm not going to. My heart belongs to you, and it has for a long time now. I've never been this close with anyone… You were right, what you said, when we first started talking. You know me. You see through me."

"I just want to make you happy. I don't… I can't stand thinking of you with someone else…"

"Then don't. Don't think about that, because it's not going to happen. Gina, you make me… you make me whole…"

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, wrapping her arms a little tighter around the girl she'd fallen so deeply for. "I can't imagine life without you now."

"Then _don't. _Regina, you don't have to. If I'm what you really want, then you can have me. My heart belongs to you."

It was then that the brunette let go and sat down in the grass at the edge of the cornfield with another soft sigh, this one contented and relieved.

"Sit with me," Regina offered, patting the spot on the grass beside her.

Emma sat down quickly, then leaned back until she was lying down, looking up at the clouds. When Regina followed suit, she smiled.

"You know what I've always wanted? The only expensive thing I've ever cared about?" Emma asked.

"A quality strap-on?"

"Regina!" Emma shouted with a laugh, rolling onto her side and shoving the girl's shoulder playfully.

"Okay, what?"

"Horses."

"Oh, God, Emma… That would be _wonderful. _I've always wanted to learn how to ride."

"What? You've never ridden a horse?"

"Never in my life. I've always dreamed about it, though. My mom said it was too dangerous of a hobby and never let me."

"My uncle James, who lives in southern Maine, has horses. They're the only ones I've ever ridden."

"Western style or English?"

"Oh, come on," Emma laughed. "English is for rich kids."

Regina laughed too, then said, "Yeah, you're right. I'd rather learn Western anyway."

"Then let's go. Let's visit my uncle, and I'll show you how to ride."

"What, really?!"

"Yeah. It'll be our first official date."

"But how are we going to get there?"

"Mom and Dad will let me take the truck if I tell 'em I'm visiting James. It's only a couple hours away. I mean, it might break down on the way, but at least we'd be together."

"Oh, Emma… That'd be a dream come true."

"And I'd love to teach you."

With a squeal of happiness, Regina rolled onto her side to face her lover and embraced the girl, holding her tightly and kissing her neck over and over again, until Emma started to giggle.

"Stop it!" the blonde cried. "That tickles!"

"No way!" Regina laughed, blowing a raspberry on her new lover's collarbone, making the girl scream in protest.

"Noooo!" she shouted, thrashing, but Regina's strong arms held her close and refused to let her escape. "Babe, come on!"

But Regina, elated by this reaction, blew another raspberry on Emma's cheek.

"Regina!" the girl squealed. "Knock it off!"

But instead of obeying the command, Regina rolled them until she was in the newly familiar position of straddling Emma's hips, and began to tickle the younger girl's sides. Again, Emma screamed with laughter and tried to push her off. Regina just tightened her thighs and squeezed to steady herself, continuing to torture the unfortunate, squirming girl.

Once she was completely out of breath and had gone limp on the ground, the brunette finally gave up on the mission, feeling accomplished. Then, she relaxed on top of Emma and rested her head on the girl's chest, listening to her racing heartbeat. The two lay in the grass for forty minutes or so, until they heard Emma's parents calling them for supper. They quickly separated, not wanting to share their budding relationship with the unsupportive adults, and rose to their feet.

"Race ya back!" Emma taunted, then took off running towards the house on the other side of the property.

Of course, Emma won, but Regina was close behind, and when she reached her, she couldn't help but throw her arms around the girl in a tight hug. Luckily for them, they broke the embrace just before Emma's parents appeared in the doorway.

"Dinnertime, girls!" her mother said cheerfully, holding the door open for them as they slipped inside. Once they were sitting at the table, the woman asked, "So how was your day? You look like you took a swim!"

They flashed each other knowing glanced and smirked before Emma replied, "Yeah, mom. It was great. There was an oil spill somewhere upstream, though… A little duck was covered in oil and… It was just really sad."

"Oh, that's horrible!" her mother cried, looking slightly horrified.

"Yeah," Emma responded with a sigh. After a while, during the meal, she finally braved asking, "So, Dad… Regina's never ridden a horse, and I was thinking maybe I could bring her to Uncle James' place to ride soon? Do you think I'd be able to take the truck?"

"Sure. Just be careful with it."

"Thanks!" Emma cried happily, clapping her hands and looking over at her lover, who was grinning back at her.

The following Wednesday, around five in the morning – Emma didn't want to waste the day driving, and was hoping for a full 12 hours of time in the sunlight there – they loaded their bags into the back of the truck. They just carried a few snacks – cheap stuff, mostly, like a few apples, some oranges, and two bologna sandwiches – and a change of clothes for each of them.

"You ready, Champ?" Emma said cheerfully, opening the passenger's door of the truck for her lover.

When Regina nodded, Emma held the door open and gestured the girl inside, then got into the driver's seat.

"Music?" Regina asked with a smile.

Emma bit her lip and replied, "Radio's broken. Has been since we got it second-hand. We just… uh… never bothered to fix it. Didn't seem that important."

"Yeah," the brunette agreed with a gentle smile. "Not a big deal. I'd rather just talk anyway."

This was exactly what they did for the next hour or so, until the two, both smiling and content with the company they were keeping, started to go quiet. It was then that Regina reached over shyly and put her hand on Emma's bare thigh, just brushing the hem of the girl's exceptionally short shorts. When Emma breathed a little gasp of surprise, the brunette moved her hand up just slightly, slipping her fingers under the fabric and further up her thigh, rubbing the skin there with her thumb.

"W-What are you doing?" Emma stuttered, tearing her eyes away from the road to look at her lover for just a short moment.

"I don't know… I just… It's been too long since I got to touch you, so I wanted to. I didn't mean to bother you. I-"

"It's… It's distracting," the blonde told her.

"Yeah?"

"It just… It feels good. I like the way your fingers feel when they touch me."

"Is that so?" Regina teased, flashing a sly smile as she pushed her hand a little further up the girl's warm thigh.

"Regina, I'm driving!"

But the brunette didn't heed the warning. Instead, her fingertips brushed just beside the apex of her legs in the space just next to her panties.

"Regina!" Emma cried. Then, trying not to laugh, she added, "Stop it!"

"But, baby…"

"No, ma'am! You will not distract me while I am driving! I'm not gonna be the one who crashes this fucking deathtrap, sends you flying through the windshield, then gets skinned alive by my father."

"Oh, come on. Your dad loves you. He'd forgive you. Accidents happen."

"First of all," the blonde started, "this truck is the only vehicle we have, it's not covered by insurance, and we don't have the money to replace it. Secondly, my father would _not _forgive me. My father would beat me until I couldn't breathe, then sell me into slavery to cover the cost of the damage."

"Emma," Regina laughed, shaking her head. "He's not like that."

"You don't think so?" Emma asked, her voice suddenly carrying a deadly seriousness.

"Well… Yeah. I mean, he's always been so kind to me. I can't-"

"He hits me," the driver said plainly, staring forward at the road as she drove, not daring to look over at the girl beside her to see the reaction.

"He _what?_" Regina gasped, squeezing her lover's thigh. "Emma, that's-"

"Stop. Don't, okay? Don't make it a big deal. I just think you deserve to know what kind of guy he really is before he ends up as your in-law."

The brunette wasn't sure what to respond to first, or how to respond at all. _Emma was being abused? In-law? Marriage…? What? _But all she could say was the girl's name, softly, her voice dripping with sadness and regret.

"Don't!" Emma snapped. "Don't fucking do that. Don't fucking say my name with all that pity in your voice. I'm fine, okay? It's made me who I am today. It's made me stronger. More disciplined. A harder worker."

"Emma, that's ridiculous! No one deserves to-"

"Yeah, I do."

"Emma! _No one _deserves to get hit!"

"Except maybe your ex boyfriend," Emma joked, forcing a laugh as she tried to lighten the mood.

"What? How do you even know about that?"

"You're the most popular girl in the school, Regina, and your boyfriend was a total jock. Everyone knows about you and Robin."

"It was a mistake," Regina said flatly, turning her head to look out the passenger's side window.

"I don't believe in mistakes. I believe in experiences you can learn from that make you stronger."

"He just made me weak."

"That in love, huh?"

"Not in the fucking knees, Emma. My personality. Everything I was was weak when I was with him. Besides, he cheated on me, anyway."

"What?"

"Yeah. That's something most people don't know. He cheated on me, then left me for her."

"Holy shit, Gina… I'm really sorry. I-"

But her lover just spat the girl's words back to her with sarcasm and bitterness, saying, "Don't fucking do that. Don't fucking talk to me with all that pity in your voice. I'm fine, okay? It's made me who I am today."

"Oh, come on. That's not the same thing. That's-"

"You're right. It's not. He didn't hit me."

"Drop it."

"Why don't you move out?"

"Um… because I have to work for them? Because I'm not eighteen? Because they won't let me? Because I rely on them to-"

Regina sighed heavily, pulling her hand away from the girl's thigh and pushing it through her hair, then said, "I wish we could just move in together."

Emma couldn't help but look over at the girl with a look of interested surprise.

"What?"

"Well… Yeah… I mean…"

"What?"

"I don't know. I just… Every moment I'm away from you physically _hurts. _All I want to do is be with you."

"But I… I'm a slob! And my stuff is disgusting. And-"

"Babe, just 'cause you have a shitload of books doesn't make you a slob. It's not like you have dirty clothes and trash all over your room."

"Well, I guess that's true. I just… I just love books. I dunno. I can't explain it."

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah."

"I do too. My room is surrounded by bookshelves."

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

"What do you read?"

"Anything, really. Any genres except romance and non-fiction. Mystery, fantasy, general fiction, historical fiction… Anything you can throw at me. Especially British literature."

"Oh, yeah? Who's your favorite Brit lit author?"

"Shelley, by far!"

"Percy or Mary?"

"Don't be ridiculous! MARY! Percy was a sexist prick!"

Emma laughed and said, "Brit lit was the only class I've ever gotten an A in. I like Mary better too. And you're right. Percy was a dick. But he _was _talented."

"Yeah, whatever," Regina grumbled. "Still a prick, though."

Again, the blonde laughed, shaking her head, but continued to drive in silence for the last twenty minutes of their drive. After two hours and fifteen minutes, they arrived at Emma's uncle's farmhouse.

"Em…" the brunette said slowly, putting her hand on the girl's thigh again.

"Hmm?"

"Does your uncle know?"

"Know what? That we're together? No, but that's not really any of his business. He probably wouldn't care, anyway. He's chill."

"That's great, but no. Does he know that your father hits you?"

"What the hell does that even matter?!" Emma snapped, turning to scowl at her lover.

"Hey, come on. Don't snap at me. It's important. I think you should tell him."

"That's none of his business either."

"Emma."

"Stop it! It's my life, okay? I'm not telling him. He doesn't need to know, because it doesn't fucking matter."

"It matters."

"Stop!"

"Em, please-"

"No. Stop it right now. Let's just go have fun, okay? I don't want to talk about this anymore. Like, ever."

"Alright, fine," the girl's lover sighed. "Let's go."

"I'm excited for you to meet him," Emma told her as she opened the passenger's side door and helped her out of the seat. "He's really great. He's gonna love you."

This statement was quickly made evident by the friendly man's open arms that embraced the brunette as soon as they'd let go of his niece.

"Welcome, Regina! It's lovely to meet you! I've heard some great things."

When the man winked at her, Emma looked horrified, and a wave of shock splashed over Regina's blushing features.

"Th-Thank you," she managed, bowing her head to hide the redness of her cheeks.

"Well," he said. "Have fun girls! Be safe. Let me know if you need anything."

Emma smiled brightly before taking her hand and leading her out the front door. Once they entered the stables, Regina's eyes went impossibly wide. The horses greeted her with noises of excitement and anticipation, hoping for food or a treat.

"Hey, guys!" Emma called out, waving at the four horses in their stalls. "Long time no see!"

Tugging Regina behind her, Emma advanced on the nearest stall, then reached out her hand to stroke the cheek of the horse inside.

"Oh, God," Regina breathed. "He's _massive._"

"Yeah. He's pretty huge," Emma agreed with a smile. Then, she turned to the horse and cooed, "You're a big guy, aren't you, Comet?"

Eyes still wide with wonder, Regina stared at the horse.

When the girl's hands started to shake though, the blonde looked at her sternly and said, "You need to be calm, okay? Horses can read your emotions really easily. Don't give him a reason to be afraid of you, alright? If you're chill, he'll be chill."

Nodding weakly, Regina stepped forward and allowed her lover to raise her hand slowly and press it against the horse's cheek.

"Handsome, isn't he?" Emma asked, her smile still not fading.

Again, Regina nodded, but more enthusiastically that time as she brushed her fingertips over the softness beneath them.

"Ready to ride?" the blonde asked, after a while of letting the girl get used to the horse.

"What? Already? But I…"

"It's alright, babe. I'm gonna show you. Just gotta grab his tack and then we'll be good to go."

"What's tack?"

"Saddle and stuff. His superhero outfit, basically."

This earned a smile from the older girl as she nodded her head and watched Emma collect the saddle and bridle from the hanger on the wall beside the stall. Gently, Emma helped Regina onto the horse, then grabbed the reins to hold the horse steady. She led the two out of the stable slowly, making sure that her partner was not going to burst from anxiety and fear before moving forward.

"You alright?" Emma asked her, looking a little concerned at the look of fear on the girl's face.

"I'm… I'm okay. Just don't go fast, okay?"

"We're not gonna go fast. We're just gonna walk around. That okay?"

Regina nodded in agreement and held onto the horn of the saddle as tightly as she could. Emma led the horse slowly around the ring of the enclosure, making sure that Comet was taking slow, steady steps. After a lap around the pasture, the blonde stopped the beautiful creature and stroked his cheek.

"Good boy, Comet," she whispered, her head tilted up to look at him. Then, she turned to the other girl, who was shaking like a rickety train nearly rolling off the tracks, and asked, "How was that?"

"He's…" Regina tried, forcing the words out of her lungs with shaking breaths. "He's _wonderful._"

Emma grinned broadly, then rested her hand on her lover's calf, giving it a gentle squeeze, then asked, "What do you think? Wanna try a little faster?"

"What? N-No… I don't think so…"

"What if I pop up there with you?"

"Huh?"

"He's big enough. You can wrap your arms around me and just hold on while I control the reins."

"I… Okay. But only if you promise not to let me fall."

"I promise, baby. I'm not gonna let you fall. Now, hop down so I can get a good grip and then pull you up."

The brunette looked down for a moment, then looked at Emma, completely horrified by the realization of just how high up she was.

"Em, I…"

"C'mon, babe. Just swing your leg over and slide down. I'll catch you."

"But, I…"

"Do you want me to get the steps?"

"N-No. Just…"

"I'll catch you. I promise."

So Regina took a deep breath and turned so that both her legs were on one side of the horse, facing Emma. The blonde reached out and waited for Regina to slide down and caught her by the waist as soon as she did so, gently setting her on the ground and stepping forward to move their bodies closer together, until their chests were nearly touching.

"Good job," Emma whispered, kissing the girl's cheek. "You did great."

Comet turned his head and looked at them, snorting a few noises of excitement as Emma mounted him. As she pulled Regina up onto the horse to sit behind her, he repeated the noises, startling the brunette, who sucked in a frightened breath and quickly wrapped her arms around her lover's torso.

"Hey," Emma said softly. "He's just excited, babe. You need to try to relax, or he's gonna get stressed."

"I… I…"

"Shh. Honey, you're okay. Just hold on to me. We're not gonna go too fast. Just a _little _bit more. He's anxious to move around. He wants to run."

"But we're not gonna run, right?"

"No, honey. Not until you get off. I'll run him around a little when we're done going around the paddock a few times."

"Okay, babe… I trust you…"

"Good," the blonde said confidently, smiling as she flicked the reins to instruct the horse forward.

Once he was walking steadily, Emma quickened his pace, then immediately felt Regina's arms tighten around her. Wanting to calm the girl, she rubbed one of her hands over her lover's to reassure her. The brunette's grip didn't loosen, but her breaths became less labored and erratic as they sped up gradually. The horse was trotting swiftly by the time they'd been around the paddock a few times. Emma slowed him to a stop, then turned her head to look at Regina, who was finally smiling.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" the blonde asked, returning the smile.

"N-No… I was scared at first, but… He's a very steady horse."

"Well, he's pretty big, at eighteen hands high. He's a draft horse. They're meant to work and pull heavy cargo."

"Are you trying to say that I'm heavy?" Regina teased with a grin, moving her hands down to the girl's hips.

"What?! No! I was just saying that he's very strong!"

"I'm just kidding, baby," the brunette laughed, leaning in and kissing Emma's cheek.

"Hmmph," Emma huffed, her lips pursed in a pout. After a moment of quiet, she suggested, "How about we have a little picnic, huh?"

Regina nodded, then asked, "Help me get down again?"

"Sure."

So Emma hopped down, then reached her arms out once again, catching her lover as soon as she slid down the side of the horse. Once they'd led the horse back to his stall and shut him in, they hung up his tack, then left the barn. Outside in the grass, Emma spread a thin, slightly tattered sheet over the ground, then opened the small basket and began to pull out the food they'd brought for lunch.

"I brought a surprise," she said cheerfully, once all the food was unpacked.

"Huh?"

"A surprise. Just a little something to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"Your first time on a horse. And more importantly… us."

"Oh, Emma. That's sweet, but-"

She trailed off when she saw the bottle of Merlot that Emma was removing from the basket, along with two plastic cups. (Her family didn't own any glassware.)

"Em, this is…"

"We'll be here for a few more hours. We'll be sober as saints by the time we leave." When Regina looked apprehensive, Emma added, "Have you never had wine before?"

"N-No… I… I haven't. I've never had any alcohol. My mom-"

"Isn't here. It's just us."

"What about your uncle?"

"He's out working, and even if he caught us, he wouldn't care."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. If you don't want to drink, you don't have to, but you don't have to be scared about it either. We can just have one glass, if that's all you want. Or if you want more…"

"I… I think one glass would be alright… as long as you're here…"

"I'm here. Let's toast to us, yeah?"

Regina nodded, flashing a small smile, as Emma poured them each a glass – relatively large ones – and smiled back. They toasted, said, "To us," kissed each other, then took sips of their drinks.

"How is it?" the blonde asked with a curious look.

"It's _really _good!" Regina cried. "I'm surprised! I always heard that it's really bitter, but I like it!"

"I'm glad, darling. I was hoping you would. Actually, I kinda figured you'd had it before, so I was nervous… I mean… It's just the cheap stuff…"

"I've also heard, from classmates, that the cheap stuff is better. Of course, my parents are snotty little rich fucks and drink Dom Pérignon."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah," Regina sighed. "It's stupid."

"Boy, am I glad your tastes aren't that expensive," Emma laughed in response, shaking her head, making her golden locks of hair bounce around her shoulders.

"Why?"

"'Cause I'd never be able to woo you with bottles of Dom Pérignon."

"Even if my tastes were more… you know… refined… that wouldn't change how I feel about you."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I am! Liking Dom Pérignon and fancy gowns and expensive houses has nothing to do with my taste in women. Besides, it doesn't matter, anyway, because I hate that stuff. I like to look my best, and that's where my tastes for finer things end."

"And you always do look lovely," Emma told her with a smile. "You're as elegant as a radiant flower, my dear."

"Oh, stop!" Regina laughed, leaning in and resting her head on the girl's shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're ridiculously beautiful. I don't know why you'd ever want to be with a slob like me."

"You are not a slob just because you don't wear high-fashion clothing, Emma. You're a lovely girl. You're gorgeous, really… Your golden hair… Your sparkling eyes… Your beaming smile… You're just so bright. So beautiful."

"Nah," the blonde protested. "Knock it off."

"Baby…"

"What?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

So Emma leaned in and pressed her lips to Regina's, saying, "I'm so lucky to have you."

When the brunette nodded in agreement and said, "Me too," the younger girl kissed her again, threading her fingers through Regina's soft locks of hair.

By the time they'd finished their glass of wine, they were both a little giddy and had moved closer to each other on the blanket, their shoulders pressed together as they laughed about things that normally wouldn't have been funny. By half way through their second glass, Regina was tipsy.

"Lightweight, eh?" Emma teased, nudging the girl's shoulder with her own.

"G-Guess so," Regina giggled, leaning further into her lover.

"That's okay, babe," the blonde told her. "It'll wear off in a bit. You wanna ride some more later?" When Regina nodded, Emma smiled, saying, "You were pretty scared there for a little bit, but you picked it right up."

"Nah. I just kinda held on for dear life and hoped I wouldn't get bucked off."

"I mean, if something had exploded right next to us, he might have bucked out of fright, but he's a _very _steady horse. I've never known him to buck anyone."

"Hey, Em?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I… I gotta tell you s-something…" she replied, her voice starting to slur after a few more sips of wine.

"What's up, honey? What's the matter?"

"I… I think I love you…"


	4. Waiting

"Oh, come on," Emma sighed. "You're just a little tipsy. You need to just let the buzz wear off, and-"

"N-No… Em… I've been thinking about this for a long time…"

"W-What?"

"I think you heard me."

"Gina… I…"

"Look," Regina said. "It's okay if you don't feel the same. I know it's really fast. I just… I don't know. I feel silly and wanted to be honest anyway. I was just scared to tell you before, because I thought you'd laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing now, am I?"

"Well, no… But you didn't exactly say it back…"

"Don't be stupid. I've been in love with you since the first time you spent the night in my bed and cuddled up to me while you were asleep."

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina teased, still slurring her words slightly. "That never happened. I do _not _'cuddle.'"

"Oh, yeah? I think your breath on my neck says differently."

Instead of coming back with some other witty remark, Regina simply blushed and looked away, only managing to quietly explain, "You were warm."

"Oh, so you're using me for my warmth, huh? Seems to be a trend with you."

"N-No! Emma, I just meant…"

"What?"

"I j-just meant… It was too hard not to."

This brought a smile to Emma's lips as she kissed the girl softly and tasted the sweet fruit in their kiss. When the blonde pulled away, she licked the residue from her lips, which, of course, drove Regina wild. Feeling her own heart race, the brunette leaned in and placed her hands on Emma's hips as she continued the kiss.

Sighing as she moved away, just slightly, Regina whispered, "Do you really love me, Emma?"

"Of course I do, baby. Who else could make my heart race like you? Who else could make my heart burn the way you do?"

Smiling brightly, the older girl moved her hands from Emma's hips to her back and pulled her into a tight embrace that the blonde reciprocated with enthusiasm.

"You're the perfect girl for me," Emma told her. "You know that, right?"

Blushing, her lover replied, "I dunno. All I know is that you're perfect for me."

"Come on. I'm just a farm girl. You could do better."

"I don't want to be with someone just because they're upper-class like my parents, Emma. I want to be with someone because I _love _them, and I love _you._"

"I don't get why, but I'm grateful for it. I'm blessed to have you."

"You're so sappy," Regina giggled, her buzz starting to wear off.

"So are you!"

"Yeah, I know. You make me that way."

"What? How?"

"When I'm with you, all I can think is how amazing and perfect you are. How wonderful we are together."

"We are pretty good together, aren't we?" Emma asked with a smile.

"Damn good."

"I can't see myself with anyone but you, Regina. Honestly."

"Yeah?"

"I've honestly never even had a crush on anyone before you… except maybe some characters in my books," the blonde joked.

"Well, I'm sure I can't compete with a fictional character."

"Oh, stop it. They can't compete with you. You're the real deal, Gina."

"Aww! Babe!" Regina cried, embracing the girl again, tightening her arms around her torso.

"What?" Emma laughed.

"You're too sweet to me."

"Me? You're sweeter than honey!"

"Oh, my God. You sappy motherfucker."

Emma just grinned and held the older girl in her vice grip. Soon, though, they were kissing again, their lips moving slowly and tenderly with each other's. Eventually, Regina gently pushed her down onto the blanket and continued to kiss her, but began to slide her hands up and down the girl's sides.

"W-Wait," the blonde stammered. "Don't do that. You're gonna make me burst."

"Can't take the heat, Em?" her lover teased, clearly just joking but displaying a playful smile.

"Not from you I can't," the girl laughed. "Definitely not."

"Well, don't jizz in your pants there, Princess."

"You keep touching me like that, and I might."

Suddenly, this wasn't funny, and Regina just stared down at her lover, her lips parted and hovering over Emma's.

"I…" Emma started, but found herself unable to finish the thought, because Regina's lips were on hers again, hungrier than before. The only thing else she could manage to stutter, her breath mixing with the brunette's, was, "G-Gina."

"Hey," the bolder girl whispered. "It's okay."

But it didn't seem okay to Emma. Her heart was racing (of course), her palms were sweating as she gripped the girl's hips, and her breaths were ragged and heavy. Everything Regina was doing was driving her insane, pushing her to the brink of her mental and physical limits.

"If you don't stop," the younger girl finally said, "then I won't be able to stop either."

Regina sighed but understood what her lover meant. Reluctantly, she sat up and pulled away, then looked at the ground beside them, appearing a bit more than dejected.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Emma assured her. "I just want to be able to say that we waited for the perfect moment… and in the grass, outside, at my uncle's house, isn't it."

"I… I know… I just… I got carried away. It's hard, with you. Harder than it's ever been for me. I've never wanted anything so badly."

"I want it too, honey. I just want it to be everything you've dreamed of and more."

"Em…" Regina said slowly. "What do you dream of?"

"What, you mean about us?"

"Yeah."

"Three kids, a few dogs, some horses-"

"No, come on. That's not what I meant," the brunette pouted. "Wait… Three kids?!"

"Nah, I'm just playin'," Emma told her with a grin. "Two is plenty."

"You… You want kids?"

"You don't?"

"Well, no… I mean… Yes… I do. I just… I didn't… I never thought about it… with…"

"Another girl?"

"Um… Yeah."

"Well, there's plenty of options, Regina. Sex isn't the only way to have children."

"I know that!" Regina snapped. "I…"

"I've never wanted kids before. I didn't want to turn into my father. But with you… All I can think about it now is what a great mother you would be, and how smart our kids would turn out."

"Oh, come on. I'd be a terrible mother."

"No, really! You'd be wonderful. You'd help them with their homework, and-"

"You'd teach them how to farm. How to ride. How to treat people with kindness rather than the disrespect my parents taught me."

"Maybe they tried to teach you to disrespect others, but that's not what you learned. I think you taught yourself something else. You _chose _something else."

"I wasn't very nice before I met you, Emma. I'm sure you've heard stories, having gone to school with me for so long."

"That's not who you are, though. That's not how you turned out. Who you are now is what matters."

"And who am I now?"

"A wonderful, intelligent, beautiful person who cares deeply about others."

"You forgot some stuff."

"I'm sure I did. The list goes on. What did you think I was missing, though?"

"That I love to farm and get my hands dirty," Regina answered, "and that I'm in love with a gorgeous girl who is just as wonderful."

"I hate when you talk like that," Emma sighed, rubbing her temples as she shut her eyes.

"Like what?"

"Like calling me gorgeous and stuff. It's silly. You don't have to lie to me. I-"

"Emma! Stop it! You _are _gorgeous. I think you're absolutely stunning. I told you that."

"I know! I just don't know how to believe it, you know?"

"Yeah. I guess I get that. I feel similarly when you compliment me."

"Alright," the blonde finally responded. Then, sarcastically, she added, "Let's agree not to compliment each other."

"Yeah, right. You couldn't _pay_ me to stop telling you how beautiful you are."

"What if I show you my boobs again?" Emma laughed. "Will that shut you up?"

"It might, for a while. But it's only going to intensify my feelings about you. You have a _fantastic _body, Emma…"

"What's so fantastic about it?"

"Oh, come on. Don't make me do this…"

"No. I want to know what's so great about it, if you can even answer."

"Okay, fine!" Regina snapped. "Your muscles. The way your abs fucking ripple like a goddam washboard. The way your tank tops show off how big your arms are. How solid your thighs are. Your-"

"My thighs?" the blonde cut in.

"Yes, Emma. Your thighs."

"Solid?"

"Yeah. You know… rock-hard?"

"I… They're not… They-"

"They _definitely _are," the brunette argued, rolling her eyes. "You have no idea how many times I've imagined you wrapping them around me…"

"What…?" Emma asked dumbly, now full on staring at the girl sitting beside her on the blanket.

"You heard me. I think about the way your muscles would flex when you straddled my hips… the way you'd squeeze to hold me tighter…"

Emma, dumbfounded, continued to stare, but for a while, she said nothing, just sitting and taking the information she'd just acquired. Then, once that was half way processed… the image filled her mind, too. Her thighs tensed just at the thought of it. Feeling Regina's warm, bare skin beneath her… Listening to the noises the girl might make when she moved. (This she'd thought about frequently.) When Regina looked down, she noticed that her lover's hands were clenched into fists.

"Babe?" she asked cautiously, reaching out and touching Emma's wrist.

The blonde just looked at her as her own mouth watered.

"Baby?" Regina asked again, but received no response. "Honey?"

Finally, Emma managed to reply, "Yeah."

"Did I freak you out? Was that too much…?"

"No! I mean… I…"

"Okay… Well… If it wasn't too much, then you'll tell me what you've imagined, because you never answered when I asked you the first time."

"I… I don't want to tell you. It's embarrassing…"

"No, come on. Don't be like that. I told you! Don't you think that was embarrassing for me?"

"Well… I…"

"Babe, just talk to me. I want to know what you think about."

"I… Look, what's the point of this? It's not happening now, so why does it matter?"

"It matters because, for one thing, I want to know, and for another, I embarrassed the shit out of myself just now and it's only fair that you do the same," Regina answered, trying not to laugh at the last part of her statement, knowing that if she did, there was no way her lover would tell her what she wanted to know.

"Alright, fine. I don't really think about you touching me so much as I think about me touching you. Mostly, though, I think about the noises I could get you to make…"

"Yeah? And what noises are those?"

"You are such a bitch," Emma laughed, shaking her head. "Moans, Regina. Fucking moans. Whimpers. Little pleas for more…"

"You think you could make me plead for more?" the brunette teased with the confident smirk that Emma was so used to.

"I think I could make you do anything I wanted, if you were willing to let me try."

Regina's eyes went wide at this, surprised at her lover's response, until finally, she said, "I look forward to giving you the opportunity to prove that statement."

"I look forward to being given that opportunity," the blonde told her. "Anyway, was that what you wanted to hear?"

"Well… Sort of."

"What do you mean 'sort of?'"

"I was hoping you'd sort of tell me… I don't know… Like... Where. And how. Just… what you picture it being like."

"Oh! Oh, okay… Um… Well, to be honest, I've thought about it happening in a lot of different places."

"Like where?"

"Just… out in the fields… You know… Just us, on a blanket, holding each other, and…"

"Okay. Where else?"

"This one's kind of gross, but… in my bed?"

"Why would that be gross, babe?"

"Because my house is a fucking wreck, and-"

"You know I've never had a problem with your house. You know that."

"I know. I just… I'd rather imagine it somewhere else. Somewhere perfect and clean."

"Your house isn't dirty, Em. It's cluttered. There's a big difference."

"I know, but-"

"Really. There's nothing wrong with us having our first time in your bed."

"I was… I was laying in bed one night, and I was just thinking… about us, you know?"

"That's what I think about when I'm laying in bed too. I've imagined it in my bed too."

"Your mom would never let me set foot in your house," Emma laughed. "That's never gonna happen."

"I could sneak you in, you know. She wouldn't be the wiser."

"I'd kind of like to see your room. What is looks like. All the stuff you've got."

"My room's pretty empty. It's just a bed, some windows, and some textbooks on my desk."

"You don't have, like… a favorite stuffed animal? Or a special blanket? Or anything?"

"Oh… Well… I mean… I _do… _I just…"

"What's its name?"

"Daniel."

"Is he a bear, or what?"

"He's a, um… a dolphin… that I got from the Boston Aquarium when I was really small."

"Aww! Daniel the dolphin! How cute!"

"Hey, shut up, alright? I was little!"

"No, really! It's cute!"

"Whatever. Anyway, where else?"

"This is pretty dumb too but-"

"Stop saying that. Just tell me."

"Alright, alright! Jeez. I've imagined it in a hotel. Like, a really nice one. I usually don't dream about the finer things in life… but it was a pretty cool scenario. I booked a five-star in Boston and had champagne delivered to the room, and… it was… It was really nice."

"Where else?"

"Your dorm room."

"What?" Regina laughed, leaning in to kiss the younger girl's cheek.

"I just imagined us going to college together… and teasing each other… then racing down the hall to your room… and then… I'd pick you up… and I'd lay you on the bed, and we'd… well… You know."

"That's actually pretty hot," the brunette said with a grin. "I like that idea. All rushed and desperate…"

"I'd rather have it slow, though. It was just a fantasy. I want our first time to be… gentle… I want it to last."

"I don't know how long I'm gonna last when my imaginary erection is practically bursting out of my pants already."

Of course, Emma burst out laughing at this, feeling a little relieved by the joke.

"Mine too," she told the girl with a smile.

"I just… I want it to bring us closer, you know? I don't want it to be just some… _thing_ that we do, just to do it."

"I'd never have sex with you just to get off, Emma. I want to have sex with you because I want to be closer to you too."

"I don't think I could ever be close enough, Regina."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything I've ever wanted, I only want if I can have it with you, now."

"Emma…"

"I'm sorry, but it's true. I can't imagine myself doing anything without you, including graduating."

"I'll be at your graduation. I promise. I'll be out of school for the summer by then."

"Yeah, but-"

"I'll be there. I swear it. Nothing in the world could stop me from being there to support you in that moment. I'm already _so _proud of you for how far you've come."

"Aww, stop it. It's not a big deal."

"You went from almost failing your classes to passing them with good grades. That's a big accomplishment."

"Yeah, but I did it with your help!"

"There's nothing wrong with needing help, babe. Everybody does sometimes. I had a tutor when I was younger."

"What? Really? I thought you were born with all that knowledge already in your head," the blonde joked, smirking at Regina.

"Shut up, punk."

Both of them laughed and leaned against each other, savoring the feeling of skin brushing against skin.

After a while, Emma broke the silence, asking, "Are you ready to go home?"

"Not really…" Regina replied slowly. "I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with the horses. I've always wanted to ride."

"I wish I could afford horses. I just want a little ranch and some horses and a dog and you and…"

"I want that life too."

With a heavy sigh, Emma lowered her head and rubbed her temples.

"What's the matter, babe?" the brunette asked. "You okay?"

"I'm just tired of being poor. I want to be able to take care of you. I don't want you to have to work."

"I want to work, but being rich is overrated, Emma. I promise."

"Taking care of your wife isn't overrated. Having horses and being able to support your family is not overrated."

"Emma… Money isn't everything. All I care about is you. All I want is for us to have each other."

"We will have each other. But I want so much more than that for you."

"Em. With both of us, we're not going to have to worry."

"Okay…"

"It's alright, baby. We're gonna be okay."

After a tight embrace, Emma kissed the girl's cheek and whispered, " I fell so hard for you."

"I fell hard for you, too. I can't believe I found you."

"I think I'm the one who found you."

Laughing as a bright smile spread over her lips, Regina kissed her lover's lips.

After another round of riding, where Regina grew much more comfortable on the horse, they finally decided to head back to the farmhouse.

"Spend the night with me?" Emma asked as they pulled in the driveway.

The brunette nodded and stepped out of the truck. As soon as Emma fell in step beside her, Regina hugged her and smiled. Breaking the embrace was difficult, but they managed to do so before re-entering the house.

"You guys have fun?" Emma's mother asked with a grin, seeing the happy glow on his daughter's face.

"Absolutely!"

"How's your uncle? Staying out of trouble?"

Emma nodded and sat down at the table. When Regina sat down beside her, the blonde's mother put her hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you stay the night, dear? It's getting late."

"Thank you, Mrs. Nolan," the girl replied. "I'd love to."

Her lover was grinning.

"I'm exhausted," Emma told the brunette, as soon as they had shut the door to their bedroom.

"Let's go to bed, then."

"You sure that's okay? I can stay awake a little longer if you want."

"No, babe. It's okay." As she sat down on the bed, Regina added, "Come cuddle me."

With a bright smile, Emma sat down beside her lover and kissed her lips, then laid herself down with her head on the pillow. They fell asleep tangled in each other's arms.

In the middle of the night, Regina woke with a start from a nightmare, also startling Emma awake.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asked, stroking the girl's hair softly and pulling her closer. "Bad dream?"

Regina nodded, breathing heavily, and dropped her head to Emma's shoulder.

"It got hot in here. Too much heat gives me nightmares."

"I'm sorry, babe. Should I turn on the fan?"

"Yeah, that might help."

So Emma reached over onto the bedside table and turned on the small fan, pointing it towards the bed.

"Better?" she asked softly, kissing her lover's cheek.

"Still hot."

"Take your shirt off then," Emma teased, but to her surprise, Regina didn't hesitate to do so.

"Aren't you hot?"

"I, uh… Yeah…"

With a smile, Regina rolled over to straddle Emma's hips and slid her hands beneath Emma's tank top, slowly sliding it up and over her head.

"You feel really good," the brunette mumbled, licking her lips and sliding her hands up and down Emma's bare abdomen. "Your muscles are-"

"Shh," Emma chuckled. "Go to sleep."

But Regina continued to stroke Emma's abs as she leaned in and locked their lips.

"Not tired anymore."

"Regina, I-"

The kiss continued and grew more heated, until Regina's tongue was exploring Emma's mouth. The fire burned until Emma let out a moan, which was muffled by her lover's mouth. Of course, this only served to encourage Regina further, and she deepened the kiss even more as Emma continued to let out soft little whimpers of pleasure.

When Regina pressed her hips down, though, the noises Emma was making grew louder.

"Shh," Regina whispered with a smirk, using her hand to cover the girl's mouth to make her point. Only when Emma's breathing started to slow did she remove her hand and replace it with her lips.

Emma kissed back with a little more enthusiasm this time, until they both felt her hips lift involuntarily to create more pressure and friction between their bodies. Feeling their sweat mixing as their breasts pressed together, they both began to take heavier breaths. Then, as Regina responded by shifting her position until she was between Emma's legs rather than straddling them, Emma broke away from the kiss and gasped, feeling the stimulation burst through her core.

Made confident by her lover's gasps and whimpers, Regina rocked her hips forward. At first, Emma tried to push her hips away, but when the girl refused to relent and continued a gentle rhythm, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she let out another low moan. It wasn't long before the brunette sat up slightly and allowed her hands to find Emma's breasts, carefully working them in her hands. Butterflies burst through Regina's stomach as Emma let out a strangled cry when she twisted her nipples between her thumb and forefinger.

Emma wanted to protest, to tell her lover to slow down and take it easy, but the rush of the stimulation bursting through her stopped the words from escaping her lips. Instead, she began to lift her hips to meet Regina's and continued to make noises of pleasure. When Emma was finally panting for breath, the brunette stopped her movements and pulled away, moving slightly further down the bed before leaning in and placing her lips around her lover's hardened left nipple.

"Oh, my God," Emma gasped. "Oh, my God."

When Regina looked up at her – without removing her mouth and without stopping the swirling movements of her tongue – Emma felt heat bursting through her core as the look of lust and seduction on the girl's face brought her to the peak of her arousal.

"Fuck," she groaned. "S-Stop…"

Regina removed her mouth slowly, then told her, "You don't want me to stop."

When Emma found herself unable to speak, Regina dragged the nails on one of her hand down from between the girl's breasts to the top of her shorts, curling them under the waistband and giving a playful tug.

"D-Don't," Emma whimpered. "Gina, don't."

Ignoring Emma's half-hearted pleas, Regina placed several wet kisses in a trail mimicking the one her nails had made, making her lover's back arch as she sucked in a swift breath. After placing a kiss over Emma's left hip, her lips lingered. This time, Emma said nothing, and simply continued to pant and struggle to draw breath, so Regina dragged her tongue in a line just above the waistband of the girl's shorts.

"Fuck," the blonde moaned. "Regina."

"I want to go down on you," Regina husked, then dragged her tongue over the shell of her ear.

"N-No. Gina, we…"

"I want to make you feel good."

"W-we should w-wait."

"C'mon, baby. I know you want to."

"N-No. Not l-like this."

But Emma couldn't open her eyes, and Regina resumed touching her breasts until she was moaning again and dripping with sweat.

"I love you," Regina whispered. "Let me do this."

But when the brunette curled her fingers in the waistband of her shorts again, Emma found the strength to firmly assert, "I said no."

With a heavy sigh, Regina finally pulled away and rolled onto her side, flopping down onto the bed and letting her head fall to the pillow.

"Don't be mad," Emma said. "I just want it to be-"

"Special. I know."

"Baby, please. I-"

"Don't. Just forget it."

The two went silent and fell asleep without exchanging another word.

* * *

As soon as Regina woke in the morning, she pulled her shirt on and climbed out of the bed. When Emma woke, she was gone.

The blonde dialed the girl's number on her house phone and waited for her to answer the call.

When she did, Emma said, "Hey. Why'd you leave?"

"I was frustrated."

"Come on, Gina. I just wanted-"

"Don't. I need some space, okay?"

"But babe… I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"I'll call you later."

With that, Regina ended the call, leaving Emma feeling dejected and confused.

**[LINE BREAK]**

Emma worked in the field all day, and did the same the two days following. As time passed, the lack of contact with her lover grew more and more painful. On the fourth evening, the phone finally rang, and Emma answered it immediately.

"Hey," Regina said into the phone.

"Hey! Hi. How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." After a long pause, Regina added, "I got in a fight with my mom."

"What? Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I was just being a bitch. I've been in a horrible mood since I left you."

"I…"

"I'm sorry, Em. I know I'm fucking this up. I really didn't mean to, though. I just wanted you to feel good, and when you pushed me away, it just felt like… like you didn't trust me."

"I do trust you, babe. I do. I just think that you deserve the best, and what I had to give right then was not the best."

"I get it. It's okay."

"Regina…"

"No, really. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I understand. It means a lot to you, and you want it to be perfect, because you really care about me. I treasure that. Thank you."

"You're… You're welcome?"

"I love you, Em."

"I love you too, Regina."

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Of course you can, baby. I'll just be here working in the field."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then. Goodnight, hun."

"Goodnight, my darling."


	5. A New Life

As the two lie in the open field the next day, they were silent for a long while.

After an extended period of time had passed without words, Emma said, "I'm glad we're not fighting anymore. I hate when we fight."

Regina nodded and announced, "We need to start giving each other the benefit of the doubt. Both of us."

Emma smiled and rolled onto her side to kiss Regina's cheek.

"Yes, ma'am," she agreed.

Then, after a few more moments of silence, Regina looked over at Emma, with her hands folded behind her head, and sighed, "Em… I think…"

"Yeah?"

"I think we need to tell our parents."

"Are you _kidding me?_" Emma blurted. "They'll fucking _kill _us!"

Biting her lip, Regina looked away, thinking hard about their options.

Eventually, she pointed out, "We can't hide it forever. Especially not if I'm going to school for agriculture."

"Yeah, well… We can try."

"Em, come on. It's delusional to think they won't find out eventually. We might as well just get it over with. After all, I'm moving anyway. So…"

"Well, I have to finish high school here, and I have nowhere else to go! So maybe – just _maybe _– if you don't want me living on the streets, we should at least wait until next year."

With another heavy sigh, Regina agreed, "Alright. We see how things go with school for both of us, and then next summer…"

"Fine."

* * *

Time passed slowly for them both, as Emma struggled through her senior year of college, and Regina struggled to live alone. After several arguments via phone, and after making up over each school break that Regina visited home, the school year was finally over.

Emma couldn't have been more relieved to see her partner greeting her at her graduation ceremony. Regina had originally told her she wouldn't be able to make it home in time, so Emma had also been shocked to see her, but as soon as they embraced, Emma felt right at home again.

The bliss of the summer went on for a few days, as the two tended to Emma's family's crops, until finally, their conversation from the previous summer reared its ugly head.

"Look… Gina…" Emma protested, looking desperate to convince her partner to change her mind. "I can't, okay? I just can't do it. They'll—"

"Am I just going to be your dirty little secret forever, Emma?"

The blonde's mouth fell open. It was hardly what she wanted to hear, but it was absolutely a fair question to ask, and Emma knew it.

"No," Emma hurried to say, feeling ashamed. "Of course not. I'll tell them. Tonight?"

Regina nodded and agreed, "Me too."

* * *

The loud crack as David's open palm connected with the side of Emma's face echoed throughout the dining room, causing his daughter to wince and close her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, the first thing she noticed was the deep scowl on her mother's face as her father took a step back.

"How could you do this?" her mother hissed. "We trusted you!"

"You ungrateful little shit!" David shouted, looking at Emma with more hate in his eyes than Emma had ever seen before. As Emma took an instinctual step away, David advanced, his face close to hers, and growled, "You're _done _here. Pack your shit and get out."

Emma, of course, wasn't shocked by their reaction – she knew this would happen –so all she could think was how grateful she was that he hadn't used a closed fist to express his anger. Hanging her head slightly, Emma turned without a word and made her way to her bedroom.

With more sadness than distress, Emma looked around her room at the piles and piles of worn books that had been her only treasures. The only things that had kept her company all those years, before she'd met Regina. She would have to leave them behind. She could bring only what she could carry, and without a suitcase, that consisted of a tattered school backpack.

"Well…" Emma sighed, staring down at the pile of books closest to her bed. "I guess I could bring just one."

As she packed her backpack full of as many changes of clothes as she could stuff into it, in addition to her toothbrush and hairbrush, she felt a deep emptiness grow inside her. It wasn't sadness. It wasn't anger. It was just… numbness.

Taking one last look at the place she'd called home for eighteen years, Emma sighed again and pushed a hand through her hair.

"Well… This is goodbye, I guess," she whispered, regretting only that she could not take more of her treasured books with her on her next journey.

To her dismay, as she stepped out of the front door, without so much as a "farewell" from her parents, who were nowhere to be seen, she could only see about two feet in front of her as buckets of rain poured down over the dirt driveway.

Having no clue where she was going exactly, Emma began to walk, knowing that Regina would call when she could, and that it was a bad idea for Emma to call her first, in case she interrupted her conversation with her mother.

* * *

At Regina's house, the conversation didn't go much better.

"Get out," her mother had said, her tone not expressing anger, but rather complete disregard for Regina entirely.

"I understand," Regina said after a long pause, choking back tears as her voice cracked. "I'll be gone by the morning."

"No," her mother snapped. "Now."

Mouth hanging open, Regina stared at her mother in disbelief. She knew her mother wasn't going to like the confession, but this kind of reaction was not one she was expecting.

"You heard me," the woman said shortly. "You have fifteen minutes to pack your things and go."

Shocked into crying, Regina felt hot tears of both sadness and anger burning her cheeks as she turned her back on the woman who had raised her.

* * *

After ten minutes, Regina was done packing. Unlike Emma, she was fortunate enough to have a suitcase. After packing everything she needed in that and her backpack, bringing clothes, essential items, and school books, Regina left the house just as Emma had: without a word.

As soon as she stepped out onto the porch and saw it raining, she huffed in frustration, mumbling, "Of course." Then, regaining her focus, she reached for her phone and dialed Emma's number.

"Em?" she asked into the receiver, when the call was answered.

"Yeah, baby," Emma said, sounding calm and collected, as though nothing had happened.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just taking a walk," Emma chuckled.

Regina could hear the rain pouring loudly through the speaker.

"Well, what happened?"

"You first," Emma asserted.

"Well, let's just say I've got a backpack and a suitcase to my name and I'm walking to I don't fucking know where."

"Oh, my God!" Emma said dramatically, feigning excitement. "Me too! Except… without the suitcase."

"Oh, Emma… I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. You were right. We shouldn't have told until we were gone."

"Hey," Emma said sternly. "Don't say that. You were right. We couldn't keep living the lie, babe. It's better just to be honest. If they don't want us in their lives, then fuck 'em."

"Yeah… I guess so…"

"Anyway. Where are we going, in all seriousness?"

"Train station, I guess…"

"I have no money, Gina…"

"Neither do I."

"So why the hell are we going there?"

"I dunno. Maybe someone will drop some cash?" Regina laughed.

"This is a stupid plan," Emma laughed too.

"Yeah, well… It's our only plan. So keep walking and I'll meet you at the station."

"You know that's like an hour walk from me, right?"

"Well it's not like we can meet at some random place in the middle."

"True."

"You gonna be okay?" Regina asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll be fine, baby. What about you?"

"Honestly, Em… I'm upset. I'm gonna miss Daddy."

Biting her lip, not knowing what to say, Emma sighed, "I know, honey. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'll see you soon."

"Alright. I love you. Bye, hun."

"I love you too, baby. Bye."

* * *

After about an hour and fifteen minutes, the two were reunited at the train station, sitting beside each other on a wooden bench.

"So… What now?" Emma asked curiously, looking over at Regina.

"I don't know, Em… I'm really sorry. I really fucked this up."

"Stop it. We're here now, together, so let's make the best of it."

Regina nodded.

Then, after a long, thoughtful pause, Regina said, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Emma asked, as Regina rose from her seat.

"Come on. We gotta go to the pawn shop."

"Why?"

"Just come on, would you?"

Begrudgingly, Emma followed Regina back out into the rain and dutifully held the door for her as they entered the pawn shop.

"Regina… What are we doing here?" the blonde whispered, looking around. "I thought we had no money. What are you going to buy here with nothing that's gonna help us get out of here?"

"I'm not buying anything," Regina said, matter-of-factly.

Without another word, Regina unclasped her necklace, took off her earrings, and approached the man at the counter.

"Good evening, sir," she greeted the grumpy looking man. "I'd like to sell my diamond necklace and earrings.

"Regina!" Emma cried, grabbing Regina's arm. "Your dad gave you those! Don't sell them!"

"I have to, Em," Regina sighed. "It's the only way we're getting to California, which is the only place you or I have to put a roof over our heads."

"Regina, no. I'll do anything. I'll… I'll find a way. Just _don't _sell those."

"Emma. Enough. I'm—"

Regina was interrupted by the buzzing of her cell phone. When she looked down at the screen to see who was calling, she saw the word 'Daddy' on the display, accompanied by a picture of the man wearing a bright, broad smile.

Hesitantly, Regina turned to the man at the counter, saying politely, "Excuse me," before answering the call. She waited to hear from the other line before she said anything.

"Regina?" the man's voice came through the receiver. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm… I'm fine, Daddy. Why are you calling?"

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry about your mother. I tried to talk sense into her, but she is adamant that you're not to come home."

"I know that, Daddy. I'm sorry, too. I really didn't mean to be this way… I just… I just love her, Daddy. I'm sorry to have done this to you."

"Don't you ever, _ever _be sorry for loving someone, Regina Mills. You keep your chin up and your heart open. You hear me?"

Regina began to cry again.

"Yes, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby girl. You know that emergency credit card I gave you when you went away to college? The one you tried to give back to me?"

"Um… Yes?"

"Do you still have it?"

"Of course I still have it," Regina said, exasperated. "I can mail it back to you… I…"

"Oh, heavens, no," the man laughed. "I want you to use it. I want you to use it for anything and everything you both need until you get on your feet again. Your mother doesn't have access to the card, so she won't know you're using it, and she doesn't know you have it anyway."

"Daddy, I can't—"

"Don't you 'can't' me, miss. You do as your told, you hear?"

"Y-Yes, Daddy," Regina sniffled. "T-Thank you."

"I'll always be your father, Regina. I'll always love you. No matter what your mother says or does. I might not be able to change her mind, but I will always be here for you. I will always be proud of you. Just… Just tell me one thing?"

"Anything, Daddy. What would you like to know?"

"Does this young woman you're with treat you well?"

"Yes, Daddy. Without a doubt."

"Are you with her now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Put her on the phone, Regina."

"But—"

"Your mother is going to be back in a moment, and I'll have to get off the phone. Please, do it now."

Reluctantly, Regina pressed the cell phone into Emma's palm, watching at the girl's eyes widened in horror in an expression of 'oh, shit.'

"Hello, sir," Emma said into the receiver.

"Miss Emma, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"You take care of my baby, you understand? She's a strong, independent woman who can care for herself, but as her partner, you're expected to support her. Can you do that, Emma?"

"Yes, sir. I certainly can."

"Good," the man said, the smile on his face given away in the tone of his voice. "Thank you, Emma. Anything you two need, I'll make sure you have."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you."

Stunned, Emma handed the phone back to her partner.

"I love you, Daddy," Regina sighed, wiping her tears. "Take care of yourself."

"I'll call you when I can, darling," he told her. "It's going to be alright. You take care of each other and behave yourselves. Stay out of trouble. Or make sure you call _me _to bail you out of jail."

As he laughed, Regina laughed too and said, "Daddy, we're not going to get arrested."

"Hey, I don't know what you kids do these days," the man joked.

"Nothing that's gonna get us arrested. Promise."

"Good girl. I've got to go, sweetie. Use that card, okay? Promise me. Anything and everything."

"But—"

"_Promise me, _Regina Mills."

"Yes, Daddy. I promise. We'll be buying a train ticket to California tonight and be catching the next Amtrak over."

"Good plan. Be safe."

"Yes, Daddy. Goodnight. Thank you."

"You're welcome, princess. I love you."

"I love you too."

When the call ended, leaving the girls stunned, they stared at each other in disbelief.

"So, that was weird," Emma finally chuckled, breaking the awkward silence.

Regina nodded and agreed, "A bit, yes."

"I guess we're gonna be okay then."

Regina nodded, confirming, "We'll always be okay, as long as we're together."

Emma smiled broadly and nodded her head, content and in agreement with this assessment.

"I love you, Gina," Emma whispered, hugging her tightly. "We got this."

Regina nodded too and told her, "I love you, Em. Now, come on. Let's do this."

After Regina had put her earrings back in and allowed Emma to put her necklace back on, the two smiled at each other and left the pawn shop hand-in-hand, stepping out into the rain and towards their new life.

* * *

**Author's note: The end! Hope you all enjoyed the read! Thank you for all the feedback and reviews!**


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